Presentation of direct accessed storage under a logical drive model

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided methods, systems, mechanisms, techniques, and apparatuses for presentation of direct accessed storage under a logical drive model; for implementing a distributed architecture for cooperative NVM Data protection; data mirroring for consistent SSD latency; for boosting a controller's performance and RAS with DIF support via concurrent RAID processing; for implementing arbitration and resource schemes of a doorbell mechanism, including doorbell arbitration for fairness and prevention of attack congestion; and for implementing multiple interrupt generation using a messaging unit and NTB in a controller through use of an interrupt coalescing scheme.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus comprising:
 an input/output interface (I/O interface) configured to couple with a direct accessed storage that includes one or more solid state drives; and 
 a storage adapter configured to provide a partition table on behalf of the direct accessed storage and to synthesize the partition table as directed by a driver of the direct accessed storage, wherein the partition table is configured to enable logical block access to non-contiguous blocks of storage of the one or more solid state drives over the I/O interface. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising the direct accessed storage, wherein the direct accessed storage is configured to operate independently of a host, a host operating system, and/or a host managed file system, and wherein the direct accessed storage is not managed or controlled by the host, the host operating system, and/or the host managed file system. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the host, the host operating system, and/or the host managed file system includes the host and/or the host operating system, and wherein the direct accessed storage is directly accessible to at least one application hosted by the host or supported by the host operating system. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more solid state drives include NAND flash memory. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the storage adapter is further configured to implement, maintain, and store the partition table. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is implemented within a controller. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the controller comprises:
 a local controller Central Processor Unit (CPU); 
 local controller memory; 
 a PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface configured to communicatively link the controller with a host; and 
 a controller interface configured to communicate instructions with the host via the PCIe interface. 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the controller interface is further configured to receive a logical block access request from the host for data stored upon the direct accessed storage; and 
 the controller is further configured to fulfill the logical block access request from the host via the storage adapter's implemented logical block access to the direct accessed storage over the I/O interface coupled with the direct accessed storage. 
 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the partition table makes the direct accessed storage visible to a host operating system. 
     
     
       10. A system comprising:
 a direct accessed storage that includes one or more solid state drives; and 
 a controller that includes:
 an input/output interface (I/O interface) configured to couple with the direct accessed storage; and 
 a storage adapter configured to provide a partition table on behalf of the direct accessed storage and to synthesize the partition table as directed by a driver of the direct accessed storage, wherein the partition table is configured to enable logical block access to non-contiguous blocks of storage of the one or more solid state drives over the I/O interface. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the direct accessed storage is configured to operate independently of a host, a host operating system, and/or a host managed file system, and wherein the direct accessed storage is not managed or controlled by the host, the host operating system, and/or the host managed file system. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the host, the host operating system, and/or the host managed file system includes the host and/or the host operating system, and wherein the direct accessed storage is directly accessible to at least one application hosted by the host or supported by the host operating system. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more solid state drives include NAND flash memory. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the storage adapter is further configured to implement, maintain, and store the partition table. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the controller further comprises:
 a local controller Central Processor Unit (CPU); 
 local controller memory; 
 a PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface configured to communicatively link the controller with a host; and 
 a controller interface configured to communicate instructions with the host via the PCIe interface. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the controller interface is further configured to receive a logical block access request from the host for data stored upon the direct accessed storage; and 
 the controller is further configured to fulfill the logical block access request from the host via the storage adapter's implemented logical block access to the direct accessed storage over the I/O interface coupled with the direct accessed storage. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the partition table makes the direct accessed storage visible to a host operating system.